


don't worry baby (everything will be alright)

by theycallmemonchaton



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, aaron as the vet, allison is Too Smart, andrew is also a vet tech, background Renison - Freeform, everyone is a lot less tramatized, kevin as a once great surgeon turned vet tech, kevin has the UGLIEST haircut sorry i don't make the rules, neil delivers some good roasts in this one, neil is in WITSEC, neil's cat is sick but it's ok she's going to be fine, nicky is the receptionist, scars tw, the vet au no one asked for, vet au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 17:02:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18855277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theycallmemonchaton/pseuds/theycallmemonchaton
Summary: "Neil, baby, how are you?""Hey, Ally, I'm fine. You know something about cats right?"In which Sir is sick and Allison recommends Colombia Animal Clinic. There Neil meets Dr. Aaron Minyard, the no-holds-barred veterinarian, Kevin Day, once rich and famous surgeon now turned rude vet tech, Nicky Hemmick, the peppy receptionist, and Andrew Minyard, the monster of a vet tech that haunts the linoleum halls.





	1. Chapter 1:

**Author's Note:**

> i started forming this plot while i was trying to distract myself from worrying about my own cat as i was sitting in the waiting room of my local emergency clinic. there's 3 chapters i think and i've finished the first 2 but i'm not 100% sure when the third will be up (hopefully soon) <3

Neil was getting worried. Sir hadn't eaten for about 36 hours at this point, and Neil kept trying to tempt her with treats and her favorite canned food, but every time he approached her, she turned up her nose and walked away. Cats are notoriously difficult, especially when one tries to get them to do something they don't particularly feel like, but Sir  _always_  ate.

 

After 48 hours, Neil was able to coax a little canned tuna into her stomach, but she wasn't able to hold it down long. Neil found her retching in the living room and had barely enough time to scoop her off the couch before she vomited it up. After that incident, she didn't leave his line of sight and he pulled out his phone to call Allison.

 

"Neil, baby, how are you?" She practically purred into the microphone. Neil allowed himself a small smile at her familiar greeting.

 

"Hey, Ally, I'm fine. You know something about cats right?" Last time he had been to Allison's palace—not a typo, Neil really meant palace—she had three cats. Two large angoras named Dolce and Gabbana, and a scrappy little tom she had found in a dumpster named Seth. But Allison had always had an affinity for cats, so who knew how many she had at this point.

 

"I'd like to think so after living with them my whole life," she laughed. "Why?" Neil swallowed, suddenly nervous. It was as if saying out loud that something was wrong with Sir made it very real and very nerve-wracking.

 

"It's Sir. She hasn't eaten in two days and she vomited in my living room a few minutes ago." He could hear Allison slide into action on the other end of the line. There was rustling and some static popped when Allison brought the phone back to her ear.

 

"You still living in the same matchbox?" She asked. Neil's apartment was not small. His professional exy career made sure that he had enough to afford at least a decently sized apartment, but it wouldn't make a difference to point that out to Allison.

 

"Yeah."  
 

"Good. I know a really good vet in the area. His name is Minyard. Aaron Minyard." She quickly rattled off an address and Neil wrote it down diligently. "I have their personal number, they're old friends, so I'll let them know you're coming in."

 

After listening to Allison instruct him on how to pack a cat carrier and what paperwork he needed to bring, Neil was apologizing to Sir while boarding the crowded bus heading toward Colombia Emergency Veterinary.

 

Sir was a star the whole fifteen minute ride. She stayed quiet and sat still in her carrier, even when people boarding and unboarding bumped into her carrier. Neil supposed it could be either that she was terrified or felt so miserable that she didn't feel up to making a fuss. Either way, Neil wanted to get there as soon as possible.

 

At the risk of sounding snobby, Neil didn't think that Minyard's veterinary practice looked like much. It was settled in between a block of empty office buildings and the offramp of a highway, which Neil thought was an odd combination of locations.

 

The waiting room was relatively empty when he walked in, just a tall young man behind the reception desk chatting away on a headset. Neil stopped in front of him and cleared his throat, to which the man looked up in surprise.

 

"Gotta go, Erik, honey, I'll talk to you later ok?" The man—His nametag read Nicky, clicked a button on the phone and turned his full attention to Neil.

 

"Are you Neil?" He asked. Neil blanched for a second, his old mindset and habits creeping back up on him. His hand gipped involuntarily on Sir's carrier and he felt tensed to run. He had to take a second to relax. This man was probably expecting him because Allison said she would call ahead for him.

 

"Yes," he forced out.

 

"Ok, Allison said it might be an emergency, so our tech will be right out to take your baby. Now if you could fill out the paperwork while we take a look at her, that would be great, ok? Allison said something about not eating?" Neil nodded.

 

"Yeah, and what I got her to eat was thrown up within minutes." Nicky nodded and jotted down notes as Neil talked.

 

Neil took the carrier and the clipboard to a chair and began to fill out the information needed. He wasn't even halfway done when a short blonde man emerged from the back room. With a flat expression, his gaze landed on Neil and made his way over.

 

"Is this the cat with the dumbass name?" He asked. Neil nodded. Sit Fat Cat McCatterson was the full name on record. The vet tech, Neil assumed this must be Andrew, looked him over with a clinical gaze. "Dumbass name from a dumbass owner." Like a trashcan, Neil's trashmouth popped open. For once in his life his sharp tongue and quick wit failed him and he was left sitting in silence, clipboard dangling from slack hands, as he watched Andrew saunter away with Sir.

 

"The audacity," he muttered to himself. Nicky reemerged from a doorway behind the counter, peaking around as if to check if Andrew was still in the waiting area. His gaze fell on Neil still stunned in the chair.

 

"I'm sorry about him," Nicky offered. "It’s been a long day." A flimsy excuse since it was still technically morning, they both knew, but Neil decided it wasn't the receptionist's fault that the vet here decided to employ a complete asshole.

 

"It's ok. I've dealt with worse assholes in my life," Neil replied, He handed him the paperwork and Nicky began to file it.

 

"Oh Andrew's not the asshole here,"  Nicky laughed. "He may be a complete shit and utter bastard, but Kevin is the real asshole at this practice."

 

Neil went back to his seat even more confused than when he arrived.

 

After about forty-five minutes of waiting and listen to Nicky chatter away at his headset, switching between talking to someone named Erik (who Neil hoped was at least his boyfriend after hearing some of the things Nicky said) and communicating with patients, Andrew appeared again, silent as smoke. He didn't speak, only looked pointedly at Neil and jerked his chin in a motion to follow him. Neil stood diligently and followed through the swinging doors to a small examination room.

 

"Wait here. Don't touch anything." Neil thought the  _don't touch anything_  was a little unneeded considering that there wasn't really anything in the small room to touch. There was a bench for sitting and an examination table attached to the wall, but other than that, there wasn't much else.

 

Neil had only been sitting in there for a few minutes before there were two sharp knocks on the opposite door and Andrew emerged.

 

But it wasn't Andrew. He had changed clothes and his demeanor was different. He wasn't friendly, but he looked engaged.

 

"Huh," Neil said, matching the vet's appraising gaze. "Twins." It was no wonder Andrew was employed here. His twin brother ran the practice. Dr. Aaron Minyard's eyes widened fractionally before they smoothed and he gave Neil a stiff nod.

 

"I'm going to cut to the chase. I've never been one to dance around problems." Neil didn't think the doctor in front of him was one to dance around anything, but he decided that if this guy was going to fix his cat, the least he could do was show a little civility. "Sir has acute renal failure. The good news is we caught it early, so we can reverse its effects." Neil listened as Dr. Minyard continued to explain to him the symptoms and what  _acute renal failure_ meant. He tried to keep up with the medical jargon being thrown around, but ended up scribbling down notes to look up later.

 

"We're going to perform some more tests to make sure your cat is in good health and then we can decide on a treatment plan and discuss prices."

 

Neil was excused into the waiting area. To his surprise, Andrew was gliding a mop across the floor. He didn't even spare him a glance as he pushed the bucket with his foot and cleaned up the floor.

 

"Would you be able to explain some of the things your brother said to me about my cat? I didn't want to waste his time by asking what everything he said meant." Andrew's eyes floated up to the ceiling. Neil caught a snatch of a whispered  _dumbass owner._

 

"Yeah." Andrew kept mopping. Neil figured that whatever had spilled was already gone, but Andrew just wanted to keep wasting time.

 

"Can you explain these words to me?" Neil sighed, exasperated. Andrew kept mopping. "Please?" Andrew stopped.

 

"I don't like that word. Pick another one."

 

"I'll tip you?" Neil offered. He could see Andrew's eyeroll despite the fact that he could only see his back.

 

"You don't tip vet techs, idiot," he said. Neil's mouth filled with fire.

 

"Ok, you know what? I just wanted to see if you could explain this to me so I wouldn't have to go through the process of Googling what everything meant but apparently, Allison just had to recommend the hospital with the worst customer service. But honestly I kinda understand your predicament. It must suck having a twin more successful than you, always getting compared to each other, always getting mistaken for each other. Having someone act civil to you and then, 'Oops wrong one!' You know, I feel bad for you. Honestly I do. I can't imagine what it must be like to not be able to exist by yourself, to exist as solely one entity. So honestly maybe you are entitled to act like a complete bastard to anyone who tries to be a decent human being."

 

Finally, he had managed to capture Andrew's attention. He turned, slowly, and finally looked at Neil for the first time. It was such a powerful stare that Neil felt like Andrew could see everything. He was suddenly self-conscious. He brought his hand up in an attempt to casually cover the scarred half of his face. Andrew, catching the motion, broke his stare.

 

"What do you need help with?" He asked. He began walking over to Neil. Neil, unsure about how to pronounce half of the items on his list, awkwardly shoved it at Andrew. He sat on the armrest of Neil's chair and looked it over.

 

"Your handwriting and spelling are deplorable," Andrew noted.

 

"Well I guess it'll fit in here then," Neil defended. Andrew rolled his eyes.

 

"Doctors have messy handwriting, not vets."

 

"Same difference."

 

"Tell that to me when you need to be operated on by a guy who specializes in dogs." Neil felt that this wasn't the time to tell him that when he was on the run and before WITSEC, he had to go to a vet to treat an infected bullet wound.

 

Andrew was a surprisingly good teacher. Neil had to keep himself focused on what he was saying and not the way his thighs looked under the dark fabric of his uniform. Neil jotted down his own notes for later, so he wouldn't forget anything important.

 

Just as Andrew was finishing up the list, Nicky's voice crackled to life over the loudspeaker.

 

"Would all vet techs report to their stations? We have an emergency caller coming in and we need everyone ready STAT no matter how pretty some of our patient's families may be." Andrew rolled his eyes again and stood up, making his way over to the double swinging doors that led back to the medical wing. That last part must have been aimed at him.

 

"You know if you keep rolling your eyes like that, they'll get stuck like that," Neil called after him. Andrew looked back at him and rolled his eyes again, just to prove his point.

 

Exactly eight minutes later, a man burst through the door with a large, furry dog held in his arms. Nicky scrambled up.

 

"I need a doctor, I think this dog was hit by a car," he yelled. Nicky said something over the intercom and immediately, Aaron was pushing out of the doors, unwinding the stethoscope from around his neck, white lab coat streaming behind him. Behind him, two people emerged from the back. One was Andrew, looked focused and serious. The other, a man a shock taller than anyone else in the room, hair wild with stress, pushed a steel surgical table toward the man and the dog. Andrew took the dog from the man, an impressive feat considering he and the dog were about the same size, and gently put him on the table with the most care Neil had ever witnessed.

 

Nicky flitted around, ushering the man back towards a closed off room to fill out paperwork. Aaron was checking the dog for the most serious injuries, the tall man making comments over his shoulder. Finally, Aaron snapped at him to shut up. Something about a general practice surgeon being different than an emergency vet and to hell with standard procedure, this dog might die.

 

Despite their disagreements, Neil was amazed to see how they came together. They may have been monsters separate, but together, they seemed to form one cohesive unit. They seemed to anticipate each other's movements. They swept into the back and Neil felt a little flutter of hope somewhere deep inside that made him think maybe the dog would make it.

 

Neil waited longer. Realistically he knew that everyone was probably busy with the dog and his cat took a second priority, especially since on the staff wall the only images were that of Aaron, Nicky, the tall man Neil could only assume was Kevin, and one that had to be Andrew, except the image had been scribbled over with black marker. It was a small hospital. Maybe that's why Allison recommended it.

 

Andrew came out after the excitement had died down. He headed over to the coffee cart in the waiting area and popped a pod into the coffee maker. Neil heard the  _shhh_  of whip cream coming out of a can and heard several tubs being opened and snapped shut. When Andrew came to sit in the chair across from him, Neil's eyes bugged at the concoction he held in his hands. The contents of the cup made his teeth hurt with sweet, but Andrew calmly took a sip and looked at him unblinking.

 

"How's the dog?" Neil asked.

 

"Aaron thinks he'll make a full recovery. They're going into surgery now. The man who brought him in says it's not his dog, so Nicky's trying to get ahold of the legal owner and bring him in."

 

"What happened to your picture," Neil asked, pointing over at the stall wall. Andrew didn't even have to look to see what he meant.

 

"Bad hair day," he said mildly. Neil laughed, a short, surprised sound. Andrew raised an eyebrow at him and took another sip of his drink.

 

"How did you get here," Neil wondered out loud.

 

"I drove." Now Neil was the one rolling his eyes.

 

"You know what I mean," he said.

 

"Aaron and I had a turbulent childhood," Andrew said. "You look like you'd know what I mean." He made a vague gesture towards Neil's face but his voice was factual. No pity or apology. Just stating a fact. "We made a deal to stick together in high school. He wanted to become a vet, I got a scholarship to some small university and convinced them to take Nicky and Aaron too. Aaron had a dream to fulfill and I had to find something to convince me to stay alive."

 

"Did you find it?"

 

"What?"

 

"Something to live for." Andrew eyed him thoughtfully.

 

"Maybe."

 

 

It was a little after Andrew had left that Neil realized he hadn't gotten an update on his cat for some while. Steeling himself, he approached Nicky at the desk. Nicky always seemed to retreat into the back whenever Andrew was out front, but now, since Andrew was gone, there Nicky was, clacking away at his keyboard and humming some bubblegum pop song Neil had heard once or twice on the radio.

 

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you had any updates on my cat?" Neil asked.

 

"Yeah, sure hon, one sec." Nicky pulled something up on his computer and hummed. "Yep, I see here that Sir has unfortunately been pushed back a bit on the list of patients. It's nothing to worry about, there was just that emergency that we're dealing with right now..." Neil understood.

 

"But it's nothing to worry about. Your baby is currently being doted on by one of the best surgeons in the country so she's in good hands."

 

"Best surgeon?" Neil was a little confused. This hole in the wall hospital didn't seem like the place a "best surgeon" would be in employ.

 

"Yeah, Kevin Day. You might've seen him earlier with all the commotion. He was the best."

 

"Was?"

 

"Yeah. Unfortunately last year he was in an accident. Really messed up his hand. A necessity, really, if you're going to be operating on people. It really sucks. Years and years higher education wasted in one day."

 

"He operated on people?" Neil wasn't sure how a human surgeon ended up in a veterinary hospital.

 

"Yeah, and he was addicted to the medical field, but he was deemed unfit for being a nurse. Being a raging asshole will do that to you," Nicky whispered conspiratorially. "So Andrew said if he got the right certifications, he could be a vet tech here."

 

"Andrew said that?"

 

"Yeah, he has a bit of a thing for lost causes, but don't tell him I said that, he'd kill me. Plus he owns the place so there wasn't really anything the rest of us could say about it."

 

Neil sat back in his seat, pondering the new information. Andrew owned the hospital, Kevin was a king fallen from his throne, and Aaron seemed to just want to do his job. He sat back in his chair, tried to ignore the sounds of Nicky arguing with someone on the phone, and picked up his book.

 

They had gotten ahold of the dog's original owner. Neil heard a big diesel truck pull into the lot. Sounded like someone was overcompensating.

 

Andrew was in the waiting area, making another cup of sweet. A man walked in. Tall and guff looking, Neil didn't like the way his eyes looked. Nicky smiled at him from the desk. Standing, he held out a clipboard.

 

"Hi, you must be the dog's owner. Don't worry, he's in great hands and we expect a full recovery. I just need you to fill out a bit of paperwork. Don't stress out too much, it's nothing hard. We understand that you're probably stressed out." Neil wanted to tell Nicky that this man did not look a cent worried about his dog.  _Don't be so sweet to him, Nicky_ , Neil hissed in his mind. The man eyed Nicky dangerously.

 

"Ok." It was all he offered. He ground it out like it was painful. He took the clipboard from Nicky and thankfully sat far away.

 

"A vet tech will be right out, ok, Mister? He'll explain everything that happened and go over the pricing options with you."

 

"I have to pay?" The man stood and Nicky flinched. Neil's eyes caught the motion. Neil was trying to decide whether or not he would help Nicky if the man attacked or if he would just run when Andrew pushed out of the double doors with a purpose.

 

"Come here," he commanded. The man was so surprised that he did it. He came to a stop in front of Andrew. Before Neil could even blink, Andrew's fist slammed up into his face. Before Neil could breathe, Andrew had grabbed the man by the shoulder and thrown him savagely into the ground. Neil had been around a lot of violence, but never before had he seen a man of Andrew's height take down such a larger man in such a small amount of time.

 

"Andrew what the fuck?" Nicky laughed nervously.

 

"Look at Aaron's report. This dog's been starved and beaten and he's severely dehydrated." Neil was tense. If the guy came back at Andrew, Neil was ready to jump on him. Luckily, the guy stayed down.

 

"This dog isn't going home with him. I don't care about the legality of it, this dog is never going to see this man again." Andrew hauled the man up and forcibly shoved him out of the hospital doors. The man must have known there was nothing he could do and allowed himself to be removed from the premises.

 

"Is he gone?" Kevin asked warily, coming out of the back to stand with Andrew.

 

"Yeah, and I don't think he's going to be coming back anytime soon," Nicky replied. Kevin sighed.

 

"Dammit, Andrew," he said, running a hand through his hair. "That guy could've been another customer. We need more patients to come in here or we aren't going to be making any money."

 

"I'd rather bleed our bank account dry than have people like him come back in here." The finality of Andrew's voice chilled Neil's blood. He didn’t have any doubts that if Andrew ever saw that man again, it wouldn't end well.

 

"What’s going to happen to that dog?" Nicky asked.

 

"When he's healed he'll probably go to a rescue. But we have bigger problems. We need to find out who's going to pay for him." Kevin, who only seemed to be concerned with monetary gain at the moment, crossed his arms. Apparently, he still hadn't forgiven Andrew for scaring off a potential customer. Neil was sure he cared about the dog, the way he had handled himself when the dog was first brought in proved that, but Neil also could see how motivated he was to succeed.

 

"I'll pay." The man who brought the dog in was standing awkwardly to the side. He had probably heard the commotion and come out to see what was happening. "I know this'll sound pretty stupid but I feel like we bonded on the way over here. Nothing like a near death experience to form lifelong bonds, right?" He laughed a little nervously, like he expected the team to laugh at him or turn him away. Andrew turned the full might of his dead stare on him but to Neil's curiosity, the man stared right back. "I'll take good care of him, I promise."

 

"You hit him with your car," Andrew said.

 

"What? No that wasn't me I swear! I found him on the side of the road and knew you guys were nearby so I brought him in." Andrew looked ready to protest again, whether it be just because he just enjoyed being difficult or if he was voicing real concerns, Neil didn't know, but before he could, Kevin stepped in front.

 

"I've seen you in here before for another dog, yes?" The man nodded. "I think we can work something out, come with me." Kevin shot Andrew a dirty look and ushered the man back into his room.

 

After the excitement had died down, Kevin reemerged from the back room.

 

"Neil Josten?" He announced to the waiting room. It was a little unnecessary given that Neil was the only person in there, but Neil waved him over anyway. He seemed different in this setting. His hair had been fixed. Or Neil assumed it had been since it was now laying flat on his head. As Neil looked at it, trying to decide if his hair was supposed to look like it had been tastefully crunched by a lawnmower or if Kevin had been in a firefight and the only casualty was his hair. He could hear Allison losing her shit in the back of his mind. If Allison had come because she was old friends with the family, she must have stayed because every time she would come in, she could silently mock this disaster of a haircut.

 

"I'm just going to go over the treatment plans and the different pricing options with you so we can decide how to proceed." Neil nodded and Kevin sat across from him. Against his will, Neil's brain flashed back to Andrew sitting against his armrest, reading him the medical terms and telling him what they were.

 

"I'm not going to lie, these numbers look a little large on paper, but that's why we have treatment plans. I'll go ahead and just take off the two top tier prices so they don't stress you out too much and we can try to figure out which one of the more reasonable ones is best for you." Neil disliked the condescension dripping from his voice.

 

"Why do you assume I can't pay for my cat's treatment?" Neil asked. He had been sitting in the damned waiting room for about six hours at this point. He was tired, wanted a shower, and still wasn't sure how his cat was doing. He was ready for some verbal sparring to get himself to decompress.

 

"Well, there's a lot of factors, actually. Your car, for one thing, your clothes, for another, aren't…" Kevin attempted to look apologetic as he searched for the right words. "Well let's just say they don't seem to be status items." Neil snorted. The shit was leaking out of Kevin's mouth as he spoke. He hadn't even seen Neil's car.

 

"Oh yeah? You want to talk about status items, once great surgeon? What happened to all your doctor money, huh? I'd assume you don't have much left if all you can afford is a haircut like that." Kevin stood up so fast the chair behind him tipped over. His cheeks began turning a light shade of pink under his face tattoo of a chess piece. A queen, Neil realized. Must've stood for drama queen. That was another thing. What kind of asshole goes into the medical field with a face tattoo? Neil shook his head. It was possible that after this Neil wouldn't take Allison's recommendations so easily.

 

Kevin, spluttering, walked off in a huff.

 

"I don't care what I have to pay, just make sure my cat is safe," Neil called after him. He knew that no matter what, Kevin would make sure his cat would be ok despite the words they had exchanged seconds prior.

 

"Impressive," a voice off to the side said. Andrew had slunk back to the coffee cart for the fifth time while Neil was busy insulting Kevin. A candy cane dangled precariously from his lips as he piled ingredients into his mug.

 

"I'm not going to apologize," Neil said. Andrew made a hmf noise that sounded dangerously close to an almost laugh.

 

"And I'm not going to say he didn't deserve it." Andrew plunked three fat marshmallows into his mug and took a sip. "Besides, he should've recognized you from the second he saw you. You play for his favorite team. He must be slipping in his old age." Neil's mouth quirked.

 

"But you recognized me," he said. Andrew shrugged.

 

"Neil Josten, number ten, starting striker for the Columbia Bearcats. Your shooting pattern is predictable and honestly I'm amazed no one has caught on yet."

 

"Bullshit," Neil said. There was no way his shooting was predictable. Andrew gave him a bored look.

 

"It's a long pattern, but it's there. You're playing against the Rockefellers next, right? Buchanan, their goalie, has a weak block top left. Aim there if you need a hail mary." Neil sat for a second and tried to understand what was being said to him.

 

"You must really like exy," Neil guessed. Andrew made a loud eert noise like a buzzer on a game show.

 

"You need to care about something in order to like it. I played in college. We all did. My therapist said sports was a good way to deal with traumatic feelings. Something about it being a healthy way of dealing with feelings of aggression and builds a team support system." The lilt in Andrew's voice sounded like he thought what his therapist said was bullshit, but Neil saw something flicker deep in his golden hazel eyes that told him otherwise. "It was also part of the reason we all got in on scholarship. But I don't know these things because I remember. It's because I can't forget."

 

Suddenly, Neil flashed back to a game he played in college against the Palmetto State University Foxes. He had been with the USC Trojans and he remembered the ragtag team with the impossible goal keeper.

 

"I remember you," Neil said. "I wanted to find you after the game to talk to you. Jeremy and I wanted to see if you would think about a transfer."

 

"Of course you would, junkie," Andrew rolled his eyes. "I wasn't much for being found back then and even if you had, I would've turned you down." Neil shrugged.

 

"It would've been worth a shot. You were the best. You probably still are." Andrew shook his head.

 

"You say that like I care."

 

 

Once Kevin had calmed down, he came back and thrust a clipboard at Neil.

 

"Sign here," he said. Neil did so easily, scribbling down his messy signature.

 

"Make sure to keep it," he joked. "That signature is going to be worth a lot some day."

 

Kevin didn't find the joke nearly as funny as Neil did.

 

"I can take you back to visit your cat if you want, but after you finish signing you're free to go. You understand that Sir will need to stay here for three days for treatment and evaluation?" Neil nodded. "Ok good. We'll call you on the third day when she's ready to get picked up." With that, Kevin scooped up the paperwork and retreated back into the medical wing.

 

"Is someone going to bring me my cat carrier?" Neil asked, walking up to the desk. Nicky nodded.

 

"Oh, sorry I thought someone already did." Nicky said something into his headset.

 

"Someone will bring it right out for you."

 

Turns out that someone was Andrew. Neil wondered if anyone else even worked at this hospital or if it was just the four of them.

 

"Where did you park?" Andrew asked.

 

"What?"

 

"Your car, junkie. Where did you park? It's not in the front lot."

 

"I don't have it. Why do you need to know?"

 

"Because I'm going to carry this big, empty crate to your car for you." Behind him, Nicky coughed and Andrew's flat gaze slid over to him. "Nicky…"

 

"I know, I know. If I value my organs inside my body, then I should shut up." Andrew nodded sagely.

 

"You're learning." He looked back to Neil. "Your car?" he prompted.

 

"I told you, I don't have it."

 

"Then how did you get here," Kevin snarked from off to the side. He had returned to file some papers it looked like.

 

"The bus," Neil snapped, looking over at him. Kevin's eyes popped out of his head.

 

"You took a sick cat here on a  _bus?"_  Neil shrugged and nodded.

 

"She didn't seem to mind. And how else was I supposed to get here?"

 

"How are you going to get home?" Nicky asked. Kevin was still spluttering something in the background but the rest of the room seemed to collectively ignore him.

 

"I figured I'd take the bus again." He could hear Andrew's eyeroll.

 

"I'll give you a ride home, idiot." Neil peered at him curiously. He didn't have any reason not to trust Andrew, especially considering the recommendation from Allison, but he couldn't fathom why he would offer him a ride.

 

"Andrew, you're not--" Kevin started. Andrew didn't even spare him a look before he turned and began walking toward the doors.

 

"Katelyn's shift starts in half an hour. Which means she'll be here in about ten minutes. You'll be fine without me," he called over his shoulder. He didn't even check to see if Neil was following him before he pushed out of the double doors into the chilly night.

 

He came to a stop in front of a sleek black car with the shiny emblem of a trident on the front. He'd seen it before on one of Allison's cars, except hers was silver and she always kept it parked next to her pink Porsche. 

 

Together they managed to fight the large crate into the back seat, but instead of slipping into the driver's seat, Andrew stopped to lean on the hood and Neil joined him. He shook a cigarette out and lit it. He offered one to Neil who took it, nodding his thanks. Like always, he only smoked it enough to get it lit and then watched as the smoke drifted past his nose.

 

"Waste of a good fucking cigarette," Andrew said around the filter.

 

"Reminds me of my mother." Neil knew he didn't need to say that, but it made him feel better. He had lived his whole life a lie. Now he was his own person. Real on paper. Telling the truth was a luxury he could afford now.

 

"Is she dead?" The question was blunt, stabbing through the night. Neil nodded. "So's mine." He jerked his chin at the car. "This was the only nice thing she ever gave me and she had to die to do it."

 

They sat there for a while. Two almost strangers trading truths in the night. It was peaceful. It was freeing. 


	2. Chapter 2:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's ch 2!! things are developing more also allison knows people too well for their own good

The drive home was quiet, but comfortable. They had talked for so long outside of the Maserati and now they found solace in the silence.

"This you?" Andrew asked. Neil's eyes regained their focus to see his apartment looming in the dark outside his window.

"Yeah, this is me." He sat for a second, unsure about what to do next.

"This is some wild shit but I live in the building up the street," Andrew muttered. Neil's mind wandered over to Allison and how this smelled of Chanel no. 5.

Together, they wrangled the crate out of the back of Andrew's car.

"A sports car really isn't the most conducive transport vehicle," Neil commented. Andrew huffed and shoved the crate into Neil's arms.

"Thanks, Andrew, for the ride home that you didn't need to give me," Andrew mocked. Neil laughed, loud and vibrant.

"Thanks, Andrew, for the ride home that you didn't need to give me."

"You're welcome." Neil smiled at him, bright and brilliant. He stopped at the front door to his building and turned back to look at Andrew. He was leaning against his car door and there was an unlit cigarette dangling between his fingers.

"Good night," he called. Andrew raised the two fingers trapping the cigarette and tapped them against his temple in a mock salute.

  
Allison called just as Neil pulled the key from his lock.

"Hey, baby." Neil could hear a glass clink on the other end of the line, like she had just finished taking a sip of wine.

"Hey, Ally," he sighed, sinking onto his couch.

"How's Sir?" Neil began to talk her through his day. He thanked her for calling ahead. He would've been there for hours longer if she hadn't.

"Of course! Anything for you, darling. Besides, the monster owes me a favor."

"Which one?" Neil asked. Honestly, any of the staff he had met there could qualify to earn a nickname like monster.

"Andrew, of course. I got little Minyard a good deal when he bought the place, which pretty much means I'm queen of the land over there. Plus we're old friends."

"Yeah, you guys went to college together, didn't you?" After being excommunicated from the house of Reynolds, Allison had gotten into Palmetto on an exy scholarship where she started studying fashion and design. Now, she had an empire.

"So what did you think of Andrew?" Allison asked. Neil didn't fully trust the tone in her voice. The last time she had used the voice with him, he ended up on a month-long private cruise around Mexico with Matt, Dan, Allison, and about fifteen of Allison's other friends, armed with only two shirts and a single pair of swim trunks.

"He was an asshole eighty-five percent of the time."

"Really? Man, he must like you. Usually he's like that one-hundred-and-ten percent of the time." Allison's voice sounded thoughtful. "But what did you think of him?"

"He seemed qualified and I trust him with my cat." Allison's exasperated sigh told him he still wasn't catching on to what she wanted.

"He's rather handsome, wouldn't you say?"

"I dunno," Neil said. Allison groaned.

"Neil, I swear, you're hopeless sometimes."

Neil thought about her question. He tossed around Andrew's sharp jaw and strong… well, everything, in his mind. His mind flittered back to the way his hazel eyes looked golden and the way they reflected the cherry glow of his cigarette in the dark of the night. He thought about Andrew taking the man down in the waiting room of the hospital. He thought about the strength and gentleness he showed when he took the injured dog into his arms.

"I guess so," Neil adjusted his answer.

"Finally! We're getting somewhere!" He could hear Allison's glass clink again, she was probably cheersing herself.

"Good night, Allison," Neil said, even though he couldn't keep the amusement from his voice.

"Night, baby," she said. "And don't fret about Sir. She's in the most capable hands I know."

  
The next day, Neil woke up, showered, went on his run, and had made breakfast by the time he heard his buzzer go off at the front door. When he went to check the little screen that showed the camera footage from the front of the building, he was surprised to see Andrew standing there, cigarette in mouth, hands in pockets.

"Andrew?" Neil asked into the intercom.

"Come on, I'm giving you a lift to the hospital," he said.

"What? Why?"

"So you can visit your cat, dumbass. I thought you liked it."

  
"I do, I'm just surprised that you're here. I could've just taken another bus."

"Allison said you might say something like that. Said something about you having an inability to accept gestures of kindness."

"Oh so Allison sent you," Neil said. He didn't try to fight the smile off his face. "And I'll give you a kind gesture to accept." He saw Andrew roll his eyes through the monitor even though he couldn't see the finger Neil was giving him.

"Are you going to buzz me in or are you coming down to meet me?" Andrew asked, changing the subject.

"I'll be down in a minute," Neil said.

"You have thirty seconds," Andrew said as he turned away.

Neil grabbed his keys, phone, and wallet, and headed out the door, locking up behind him.

Ducking into Andrew's Maserati, Neil nodded acknowledgment to him. He grunted in response and started up the car.

Something was different about the atmosphere. Whether it was the change in day or Andrew's mood, Neil didn't feel the need to attempt to make small talk. It was a quiet drive to the hospital. Andrew pulled into the lot and parked the car haphazardly. When Neil got out, he saw Andrew was directly on top of the line between spaces.

"You park like an asshole," he commented. Andrew rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you mean the line isn't the target?" He asked sarcastically. Together, they walked to the front.

"Andrew, what are you doing here?" Nicky greeted from the desk. "You're not on the roster today, are you? Because Katie's shift is still on--" Andrew waved him off.

"I know, Nicky. Allison called me. I brought Neil in to visit Sir."

"Oh well that's very kind of you," Nicky said knowingly. He brought a finger up to the side of his nose and winked. Neil felt like he was on the outside of the glass looking in. Finally, Nicky looked over at him. "Hello Neil, I didn't mean to ignore you over there." Nicky waved. Neil gave a small wave in return.

"I'm taking him into the back." Once again, Andrew didn't even check to see if Neil was following, he just walked off. Neil jogged a step to catch up.

As they were walking through the doors, Kevin walked past. His shoulder caught Neil's and Neil caught a grumbled move.

"Nice guy," he muttered. They came to a stop in front of a wall of crate doors. Most of them were empty, but a few of them had small eyes gazing back at him. Sir was curled in the corner of the leftmost crate but once she saw Neil she meowed loudly.

"Aaron has her on a few different medications and antibiotics and he thinks everything is going to work out."

"Is he just saying that to lull me into a false sense of confidence or does he actually mean it?"

"You think either of us are people who sugarcoat things?" Andrew was sticking his fingers through the bars of another crate, tickling the chin of a scruffy looking cat. "If Aaron says your cat is going to be fine, then she's going to be fine."

"You trust him that much?" Neil asked. Andrew's flat gaze slid over to him.

"I trust him more than I trust myself," he said.

Andrew let him sit, petting and cooing at Sir for almost half an hour.

"I just don't want her to think I'm abandoning her," Neil said. Andrew shrugged.

"She knows you're coming back. You may be a runaway, but she knows you'd come back for her."

"Why do you think I'm a runaway?" Neil asked, guarded.

"You have to ask?" Andrew said.

"Besides the scars. That could be from anything. Why runaway?" Neil pressed.

"You catalog exits, you look ready to bolt whenever someone does something unexpected, and don't try to act like you weren't trying to decide between running and fighting when that man was in here yesterday." Neil forcibly turned his head back to Sir.

"That's not my life anymore," Neil said softly.

"It isn't mine either." Silence lapsed for a few moments.

"Do you think Allison sent me here for a reason?"

"Yeah, your cat was about to die."

"No I mean, she's like my sister, and she knows you--"

"Her fiancé knows me. Reynolds and I just went to college together."

"And played on the same team," Neil said.

"You bore me when you start talking about your sport, junkie."

"It used to be yours, too," Neil added, cheekily.

"It was an onramp to higher education. Didn't your high school counselor ever tell you to pursue whatever path would get you to where you needed to be?"

"My high school counselor never once spoke to me, but I understand what you mean." His mother had told him something similar. Except when she said it she usually meant if you need to stick your finger in someone else's bullet wound to get the answers you need, do it, no matter how much they scream. His uncle Stuart also told him something similar when Neil was trying to make his decision about WITSEC.

"To answer your question, yes. Allison's a catty bitch. She one hundred percent is trying to set us up." Andrew was avoiding Neil's questioning look.

"Why?"

"I got her and her fiancé together, duh."

"Renee? How?"

"Renee's my best friend. She's been through a lot and I want the best for her. When she started hanging around Allison, I saw how happy she made her and I encouraged her to keep going. Reynolds probably feels like she owes me or something."

"Allison never leaves a debt unpaid."

"Cheers to that."

Andrew drove Neil home. As he was pulling up to the curb, he idled for a minute and Neil waited for him to unlock the door. Andrew hit the lock and Neil heard him draw a breath to speak. Neil was halfway out of the door when Andrew unlocked the gate of his mouth and spoke.

"Are you doing anything later tonight?" He asked gruffly. Neil braced one arm on the roof and leaned back down into the car.

"I don't think so, why?"

"Maybe Reynold's plan… wasn't such a disaster. Maybe we should indulge her a little bit." Neil was thoroughly confused.

"What?"

"I'm asking you out for a drink. Yes or no, idiot?" Neil was so stunned that he could only blink for a few seconds. "Fuck this." Andrew shifted his car into drive and reached to pull the door shut.

"Wait," Neil squawked. "It's a yes. Definitely a yes. I'll be ready at seven." Andrew nodded and Neil let him tug the door shut and watched him drive away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always if you notice any major mistakes or just want to leave a message drop a comment below they're my lifeblood thanks

**Author's Note:**

> if there's any major mistakes or errors or you guys just have any general comments just leave them below!! :)


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